Prague hopes for a modern concert hall. As the name of the desired building is called, the Vltava Philharmonic could be built in the city within a few years. Prague Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09) presented the ambitious plan at the Architecture and Development Summit, envisages the venue’s opening in 2032. In his own words, he hopes that his children will bring it to the premiere.
The modern concert hall is to be built near the Vltavská metro station in 2027, but according to Prague’s 1st Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, it could be operational just five years later, in 2032. Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09) presented his bold plan at an event organized by the Association for Architecture and Development.
Hlaváček himself described the plan as very ambitious, but he believes it will work. “We must do our best to make it happen. I hope the kids will bring me there for the opening concert, ” Hlaváček said with a smile. He said the concert hall should be open every day of the week, and the building should not be “extravagant, but appropriate.”
There was talk of a grand concert hall years ago. TOP 09, for which Hlaváček was elected to the Prague City Council, promised a new philharmonic building in the 2018 elections. “We will announce an international architectural competition for the construction of a new concert hall that would enable performances by the world’s great philharmonic orchestras,” the United Forces for Prague coalition, which includes the STAN and KDU-ČSL movements in addition to TOP 09, wrote in its program.
The construction cost is estimated at CZK 5.3 billion, with another CZK 750 million for the design documentation and architectural competition. According to current plans, the construction should cost more than CZK 6 billion. The study also envisages the creation of four thousand jobs.